Chris Matthews: ‘Rise Of The New Right’ Special Will ‘Scare The Heck Out’ Of Liberals (VIDEO)  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  MSNBC host Chris Matthews says he is sure his new special, “Rise of the New Right” — which airs tonight at 7PM — will stir people up, no matter where they fall on the political spectrum.

Bullied into a £13bn cave-in: Obama forces BP to set up huge compensation fund for U.S. oil spill victims - and British pensioners will pick up the bill  —  The crisis engulfing BP plumbed new depths last night as President Obama bullied the company into depositing £13.5billion …

New RNC ad: How many rounds did you golf while the oil was leaking, champ?  —  A snappy montage illustrating Obama's “bloodless quality” and “emotional detachment” from the spill, as rabidly right-wing NYT columnist Maureen Dowd put it this morning.  Sad to say, I don't think this meme's …

In Illinois Race, a Teaching Career Is Questioned  —  WASHINGTON — Representative Mark S. Kirk of Illinois, a Republican candidate for the United States Senate, has often reminisced about his time as a teacher.  —  On the floor of the House, in campaign commercials and during interviews …

BRIAN TAMANAHA: Wake Up, Fellow Law Professors, to the Casualties of Our Enterprise. … Just casualties of the recession?  Or more signs of a bursting bubble?  The only positive angle I can contribute is this: With a college degree now functioning, essentially, the way a high-school diploma used to …

Amy Bishop charged with murder for 1986 shooting of brother  —  CANTON — Amy Bishop has been charged with murder for the 1986 shotgun slaying of her 18-year-old brother in their Braintree home, Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating said this afternoon.

Bizarre getaway as student hurls puppy at German biker gang  —  A German student “mooned” a group of Hell's Angels and hurled a puppy at them before escaping on a stolen bulldozer, police have said.

Jobs Bill Bombs In Senate, 45-52  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Deficit concerns trumped jobless aid in the Senate Wednesday as a key vote on a bill to reauthorize several expired programs, including extended unemployment benefits, failed 45-52, with 12 Democrats voting against it.

Once again we must ask: ‘Who governs?’  —  In 1974, Edward Heath asked: “Who governs - government or trade unions?”  Five years later British voters delivered a final verdict by electing Margaret Thatcher.  The equivalent today would be: “Who governs - government or financial markets?”

Gulf Oil Spill, Day 57: House: BP Cut Corners; Pickens: Investigation Can Wait … More revelations emerged Monday about BP's cost and safety decisions during the days leading up to the oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.  —  The disclosures are from internal documents released by a House committee.

It's Too Early for Christie, but Americans Are Yearning for His Style  —  It seems like every week or so, you see blogs and Twitter comments in the vein of, “Hey, did you see this great speech by Chris Christie?”  —  And they're not actually great speeches, at least not the way we've …

CHANGE!  53 Days Later Obama Administration Decides to Accept Dutch Offer to Help With Spill  —  Remember: The Gulf Oil Spill Is Like 9-11  —  Three days after the Gulf oil rig explosion, the Netherlands offered to send in oil skimmers to pump oil off of the surface of the ocean.

Banished by the FBI  —  This kind of stuff has become so commonplace in the post-9/11 world that we hardly even notice it anymore, but the case of Yahya Wehelie is really just outrageous beyond belief.  Keep in mind as you read that he's a U.S. citizen born and raised in Virginia:

Twitterati report: Syria trip mixes work with play  —  The State Department's two leading Twitterati, Special Advisor on Innovation Alec J. Ross (@alecjross) and Policy Planning staffer Jared Cohen (@jaredcohen), are in Syria this week leading a delegation of tech companies hoping to …

Context Matters: A Better Libertarian Approach to Antidiscrimination Law  —  Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul, a Republican with libertarian leanings, recently questioned the provision of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that bans discrimination in restaurants, hotels, and other businesses.

O'Reilly Pwns Palin  —  A moment of truth on the Factor: … He clearly realizes what a total farce she is - and he slowly dismantles her mindless partisanship by the end of the segment.  Good for O'Reilly.  Particularly good for exposing just how little this phony knows about energy policy, her alleged expertise.

Barbour Is Concerned That Escrow Account Will Cut Into BP's Profits: ‘It Bothers Me’  —  The Obama administration announced this week that it wants BP to transfer “substantial” funds to an escrow account overseen by an independent third party that will handle claims from individuals …

Brady leads Quinn, but margin reduced  —  Bill Brady is still favored to become the most obscure big state Governor in the country this fall, as he leads Pat Quinn 34-30 despite 56% of Illinois voters having no opinion about him.  But Quinn has reduced what was a 10 point deficit now to 4 points …

Liveblogging Closing Arguments: Part IV  —  The last thread was getting a bit long so here is a new one.  —  Cooper: Only 16 states had a prohibition against inter-racial marriage.  They actually made people have illegitimate children.  The purpose of marriage is to have legit children.

Realism in Afghanistan: Rethinking an Uncertain Case for the War  —  There is nothing more tragic than watching beautiful theories being assaulted by gangs of ugly facts.  It is time, however, to be far more realistic about the war in Afghanistan.  It may well still be winnable …

June 28, 1969: Turning Point in Gay Rights History  —  “The average homosexual, if there be such, is promiscuous.  He is not interested in, nor capable of, a lasting relationship like that of a heterosexual marriage.”  —  So declared Mike Wallace in authoritative voice-of-God tones in …

U.S. Imposes New Penalties on Iran  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, seeking to build on the momentum of the Iran resolution passed last week by the United Nations, announced Wednesday that it had imposed sanctions on dozens of Iranian firms and individuals with links to the country's nuclear and missile programs.

The golf card  —  Two vacations and a bunch of parties as well.  Works from 9:30 to 3:00-ish 5 days a week.  He does not like to work very hard.  —  The GOP is really plumbing the depths of stupid.  Keep it up, morons.  The latest poll has America down on the GOP, and stunts like this will keep that negative momentum going down.